IT STARTED with a dream to give opportunities to young people who had the ambition but not the means to fulfil it.

Since launching in 1998, the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust has provided bursaries to nearly 100 architecture students. Eight have graduated and are working in the industry.

Stephen Lawrence, who was just 18 when he died 18 years ago, dreamed of being an architect. He never had the chance to achieve his goal, but now his name is making a big difference to the industry...

AS a youngster, Londoner Marcus longed to be an architect. But the prospect of funding seven years of training threatened his plans – until the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust stepped in.

Marcus says: “When I was 17 I decided on architecture. But I didn’t fully appreciate what it would entail until I started the degree at Kingston University in 2003.

“I’m from a working-class background and I didn’t have any financial support from my parents.

“A lot of people quit architecture half way through because it’s too expensive to carry on – in my experience, about 50%.

“My aunt had heard about the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust and said it was for people like me who couldn’t afford to do the course themselves. It was nerve-racking going for the interview to get a grant. But I was determined to let my passion come across, and it worked. I got a couple of thousand pounds every year – without that I don’t know if I would’ve been able to continue my studies.

“I finished my Masters and got a job in architecture, but was made redundant. I then got a job with one of the top surveying companies in the country. I really enjoy it.

“I got married in August too, and my wife and I live in our own home just outside London. Things are good.

“I’ve got a lot to be thankful to the Trust for.

“I don’t think I’d be where I am without them.”

HALF way through his degree, Tomasz, who grew up on a Manchester council estate, realised he was one of very few working-class architecture students.

Tomasz says: “I wish I’d heard about the Trust sooner. I only found out about them in time for my final year. If I’d had their support from a younger age it would have helped a lot.

“Architecture is not a cheap course. It’s not just the tuition fees, which are going to get worse now, but all the materials.

“I’d end up making models from salvaged materials just to keep costs down.

“I studied in Manchester then came to do my Masters in London. I got £1,000 from the Trust which helped out with my rent and materials. In London the living costs are expensive, so it was a massive help.

“In my experience, your average architecture student is white, male and middle-to-upper class. The Trust helps to maintain diversity, which is crucial. Without it, kids from less wealthy backgrounds will be put off architecture – and then the discipline loses out because diverse people bring different things to it.

“Now I’ve got a studio with friends from uni. We’ve done set design and redesigned a theatre.

“I’ll always be a part of the Stephen Lawrence Trust and believe 100% in what they do.”

thanks to a bursary from the Stephen Lawrence Trust, Birmingham-born Lisa was able to fund her master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh.

Lisa says: “My dad worked on theatre sets, so from a young age I was surrounded by the idea of making spaces. I’d build tree-houses with my brother and just knew I really wanted to do architecture.

“My parents told me not to do it. My dad got very ill at that point and wasn’t working. I was told the course would be very long and very expensive. But I just knew I had to do it.

“I did my degree in Manchester and in 2001 I got a place in Edinburgh to do my Masters of Architecture. But I didn’t have the money to fund myself. So I applied to the Stephen Lawrence Trust and was awarded around £2,500. It was a lifeline. The money is one thing, but for me the centre’s also been a great support system and great for making contacts. Doreen Lawrence is so caring and really takes students under her wing.

“I been an architect since 2004 – including working on transport systems for the 2012 Olympics. I love my job and I’ve signed up to the Trust’s mentoring scheme. I want other hopeful architects who doubt whether they can finish the course to know it’s possible.”

3For more information or to support the trust, go to www.stephenlawrence.org.uk or call 020 8100 2800.